


Shadows

by HydraRaptor



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Ghosts, Graphic Description, Horror, Psychological
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2018-10-23 13:19:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10720098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HydraRaptor/pseuds/HydraRaptor
Summary: The Miraculouses have been around for ages, and with each generation, new people were given the power to fight evil.Some who wielded the Miraculouses wielded them for good.Others, for evil.But when Chat Noir begins to see and hear things, he begins a downward spiral into insanity as he tries to figure out one thing:Just who was Black Cat?





	1. The Shadow People

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a while since I've written thanks to school and work, but I plan on updating this somewhat regularly.  
> Hopefully.  
> Also I'm not sure how graphic something needs to be to differentiate between Teen and Mature, so I'm gonna play it safe and say it's M so I can go wild with the details later.  
> Also, if it's underlined, it's said in English not French.

Chat Noir made his way to L'Arc de Triomphe, the point he and Ladybug agreed on to meet up for tonight's patrol.  Keeping an eye out for anything suspicious as he jumped from building to building, Chat let his mind wander to the akuma they had fought today, quite possibly one of the more dangerous akuma they had fought:  a fan of the Greco-Roman era who turned into Achilles.  And he was just as invincible as the classic hero, but his true power lied in his skills.  Ladybug and Chat Noir fought him for three hours before finally snatching an ankle bracelet he was wearing and destroying it, but it was risky.

Because of Achilles' skills and the sword and spear he used, getting near him was no easy task.  As Chat reached L'Arc, he put his hand over his chest, where Achilles had impaled him.  Chat had finally succeeded in destroying Achilles' sword with a Cataclysm and Ladybug was working on getting the bracelet while dodging his spear, which is when she slipped.  Chat watched in fear as Achilles brought the spear down to stab Ladybug.  He didn't know when he moved to where he did or how he did it, but Chat found himself on his hands and knees above Ladybug, one hand gripping a spearhead that was piercing his chest, stopping it from doing the same to Ladybug, pain racking his body. The last thing he remembered seeing was tears in Ladybug's eyes before the spear turned and pulled back, ripping through Chat Noir once more as he passed out.  He woke up in Ladybug's arms, feeling her tears land on his face.  The akuma was gone; Ladybug had beaten him.  She wouldn't let him go until they each had a minute to escape, telling him how stupid of a cat he was through her tears.  Just before they left, Ladybug scheduled a patrol for tonight, a day early for their patrols.

Chat sat down on one of the benches, waiting for Ladybug to arrive, then adjusted so that he was laying down, looking at the stars.  After a few minutes, his ears twitched; someone was nearby.  Chat stood up to greet Ladybug, but she wasn't there.  Looking around, no one was.  His ears twitched again and Adrien felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as he froze.  There was someone, no, some _thing_ behind him.  

_An akuma?_ _No, this is more dangerous..._

Chat couldn't move; he knew if he moved it would attack him.  He'd be pounced on before he even knew what it was.  He would turn and his head would be sent flying away from his body as something devoured him, killed him.  But it wouldn't attack him yet, it would wait until he made a move.  Chat's ears kept twitching in all directions, warning signals flying through his body, screaming at him to  _turn around for the love of god please do something run away just don't let it get you_.

Heart pumping and adrenaline beginning to course through him, Chat whirled around, leaping back and grabbing his staff at the same time, to come face to face with-

Nothing.

There was nothing there.  No monster.  No creature ready to kill him.  Nothing.

Chat Noir calmed slightly, easing his body as he leaned on his staff.   _It was just my imagination,_ he thought.   _Man I need to stop reading those horror stor-_

"Black Cat?" a female voice whispered, causing Chat to freeze once more.  This time, though, he recovered quickly and turned around ready to fight, but once again there was nothing there.  Chat felt a cold sweat hit him as his eyes scanned the monument's top for anything that might be moving.   _That was my name,_ Chat thought,  _but in English?_

"Hey Chat," a voice from behind called.  Chat twirled around once more, nearly hitting Ladybug with his staff.  Putting his staff away and nearly falling over from relief, he said, "I'm sorry, my Lady, you scared me."

He could tell she was still upset, so he sat down on a bench, patting the seat next to him.  Arms crossed in worry, she sat next to him.  "Chat, I know I asked if we can patrol tonight, but I just want to talk about...some memories that today brought up."

"My Lady, the night is young and tomorrow is clear for me, so you have this cat's ears as long as you need," Chat said, wrapping an arm around her.  Normally, she would have just brushed it off, but tonight was different.  She wrapped her arms around him, sitting there in a cuddling hug for a few moments, preparing herself to recount her memories.

"Chat, there's something you need to know.  Today wasn't the first day that you...that you..." Ladybug gulped, "you've sacrificed yourself countless times to save me from being attacked, but once you did it to save my life."  Ladybug shuddered.  "Do you remember Chronogirl?"

Chat nodded.  "That was interesting; two akuma and two Ladybugs..."

"And only one Chat Noir," Ladybug said.  "I never told you about her powers beyond 'don't let her touch you.'  That's because her power was time travel, and the energy to travel through time came from stealing people's life energy with a single touch."

"And she grabbed me in the first world," Chat put two and two together, but Ladybug shook her head.

"She got the better of me, using my yo-yo to pull me to her.  I was powerless to stop her as she reached out to touch me...but then you were there.  You hugged me and she touched you instead...you sacrificed yourself so that I could live.  I felt you disappear in my arms and I thought it was terrifying.  But today...today you didn't disappear.  Today I held you in my arms as you died," she squeezed him tighter, "I was terrified.  It's one thing to see you disappear, but to have you die, to see your blood pool, to have you collapse on top of me, I don't think I'll ever be that afraid again."

She turned to face him.  "Did it hurt when he killed you?"

Chat sighed.  "To be honest," he lied, "I don't remember much of what happened after I saw him ready to stab you.  I remember thinking that I had to save you, then the next thing I know I'm waking up in your arms, my chest somewhat tight.  It wasn't until I saw footage that I knew what had even happened."

"Chat, you may be good a bunch of things, but lying isn't one of them..."  Ladybug turned to him, pleading him to tell the truth with her eyes.

After a pause, Chat responded, "it hurt.  Bad.  But at the same time, I saw that I saved your life and the pain dulled to almost nothing.  I don't know whether that was our suits and kwami or because I was...dying, but I was alright with it because you were safe."

"Never say that again," Ladybug said, tears returning to her eyes.  "Never be alright with dying.  Even if your death meant my survival, I have to live with that fact, and that makes me feel like I'm the one responsible for killing you."  Tears started to fall down her cheeks.  "And you accepting death like it's some part of the job is just wrong! What if I didn't save you?  What if I couldn't beat Achilles and lost my Miraculous?  You'd be dead, and I would be the reason why.  And as much as you accept that, I never can! So please, please, never say that again."

"My Lady," Chat turned on the bench to face her, "I will never say it again, but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't die for you again.  You are my saving grace, my light, the very being that I strive to protect no matter what."  He softly held her chin, looking into her eyes.  "Because you mean the world to me.  And if you were to die, there's nothing I could do to save you whereas you can save me even after I die."

"Chat..." Ladybug said, then she wiped away her tears.

"How about we go for a patrol, meet up at the Eiffel Tower.  That'll give us some time to breathe, ok?" Chat suggested.  Ladybug nodded before quickly pulling him into a tight hug and heading to her patrol route.  Chat followed his own patrol route as he thought.  He had never even thought about why there wasn't a Chat Noir when they fought Chronogirl, and that was so long ago.   _And she'd been holding that secret to herself this entire time?_ he thought.  He began to think about all the times she'd chastised him for nearly getting himself killed and realized just how badly his death had messed her up that time.  And now he'd gone and done it again.

As he was finishing his route, Chat saw something odd:  on the roof of a large building, a silhouette stood at the ledge.   _A jumper?_

Chat made his way up the building, landing on the roof quietly as not to disturb the person.  Now that he was closer, Chat could see that it was the silhouette of a woman standing on the ledge, looking down.  "Excuse me, madame," he called out, but the woman didn't move.  "Madame?" he called once more.  Suddenly, the hairs on his neck stood up again and his ears twitched.   _It was back..._

"Madame, I don't think it's safe..." Chat paused.  He had night vision, but the woman was still a silhouette.  A chill ran down his back and the silhouette finally moved, turning around.  Chat couldn't move, his limbs frozen in fear as it glided just over the ground towards him silently.  Then, she spoke.  "Black Cat?" she asked in English, the same voice and English accent he'd heard on L'Arc de Triomphe.  The silhouette reached out a hand, slowly getting closer and closer, her silhouette slowly becoming detailed.  Chat's eyes were drawn to her throat where two grey slashes crossed her throat, then downward more to her stomach where a large amount of grey lines crisscrossed her torso.  Her hand finally reached Chat's neck, circling it and slowly crushing it as she called out for Black Cat again and again.  Just as Chat was about to pass out, she vanished and he collapsed on the roof, gasping for air.

His baton buzzed, causing him to jump.  Looking at the message, Ladybug asked him if he was in trouble.  Checking the time, it had been 15 minutes since they were supposed to meet up.  He typed out a message telling her that something attacked him, maybe an akuma, but his finger just hovered over the send button.  Instead, he found himself erasing the message and writing some short excuse about following an arguing couple in case it turned out badly.  Shaken by his loss of control, Chat cut his patrol short and ran to the Eiffel Tower as quickly as he could.

Ladybug was sitting on a high rafter, foot swinging in the wind as she waited for Chat to arrive, jumping up when he did.  "I thought I scared you away, or worse," she said.

Chat smiled, pushing his fears aside for Ladybug.  "You could never scare me away, Buginette," he said.  She smiled, then sat back down.  Chat sat next to her.

"Thank you, Chat," Ladybug said, her voice soft.  Slowly, hesitantly, she put her hand on his and left it there.  "Maybe you're not such a bad kitty after all..."

Chat could feel the warmth coming from Ladybug's hand, and it suddenly felt very heavy on his.  For a while, neither of them moved, both happy.  A beep from their Miraculouses told them it was time to go, and they both stood up.

"Well, my Lady, I guess I must bid you  _au revo-_ " Ladybug interrupted him with a kiss.  It was quick, but it's effect was enough that Chat's eyes closed and didn't open until Ladybug giggled and said goodnight.  He stood, staring towards where Ladybug had gone.

With a smile on his face, Chat turned around and froze as the silhouette from before, now pure white, walked right through him, then vanished.

A whisper reached his ears, pleading and faint:  "Black Cat, why?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette's thoughts on Chat Noir are revealed and the kwami talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long to update; with finals (not to mention work) and oral surgery to remove four so-called "wisdom" teeth, I've had little to no time to write this. That and I had absolutely no idea where to go with this fic (although I have a better idea now). And as before, underlined sentences are spoken in English with a British accent (I won't underline Black Cat though because it's already in English) (and it is important and will be explained).  
> And to add insult to injury Chrome crashed just as I finished up and I lost basically the entire chapter. So it'll take longer to get out now.

_"Détransformez-moi,_ Tikki."  A flash of red later, Marinette walked over to her desk where she hid cookies for Tikki.  Handing her a chocolate chip, Marinette sat down; the clock next to her read 00:12.  It was late, but with her kiss with Chat replaying in her mind, she knew she wouldn't get much sleep.  "So," Tikki giggled, "I thought you were pining over Adrien, not Chat Noir."

Marinette frowned.  For some reason, the mention of her crush derailed her.  Of course she loved Adrien, but Chat Noir...

"Tikki, do most Ladybugs and Chat Noirs end up together?" Marinette asked after a moment as she looked at her wall of Adrien.

"Well, many who are chosen to wield the Miraculouses are chosen due to their compatibility as a team.  As a result, many do end up in a relationship together.  And, personally. I think you and Chat Noir are perfect together," Tikki said.  "I'm sorry if I upset you with the Adrien comment..."

"It's fine, Tikki.  After what happened today, I think my crush on Adrien has gotten stale."  Marinette laid down on her bed, staring out the skylight at the moon.  "You know, it's actually kind of frightening.  When I first felt something for Adrien, my heart skipped a beat.  I remember everything from that moment very clearly, but only in a small bubble that contained Adrien, myself, and the umbrella he gave to me.  Every detail of that moment was etched into me like a picture being taken.

"But that was it.  With Chat Noir, I remember everything from that moment.  Where the akuma was, how many people were still running away, where Alya was filming," Marinette felt her tears return, "the warmth slowly fading from Chat, the number of drops of blood that fell from his chest, that stupid smile he gave me before passing out...I remember everything from that moment to when he died.  But I know what I felt:  terror, sadness, wrath, but more powerful than all of those things combined, love.  I knew in that moment that I loved him, and I wished with all of my being that he would survive, that he would live even for a minute longer so that I could just tell him."

Marinette wiped her eyes clear of tears then smiled.  "And I know that what I feel for Chat is love because I'm not afraid.  I'm not nervous at all anymore.  I-I kissed him and rather than being scared or overly nervous, I'm ecstatic!  If it were Adrien, I don't know if I'd ever be able to look at him again.  With Chat, I can't wait until we see each other again."

Tikki smiled.  "So why did you kiss and leave then if you're so sure?"

Marinette blushed and one of her hands brushed some hair behind her ear.  "W-well, uh..."

"You might say that you're not nervous or scared, but it's ok to be.  Love is a strange thing and it'll take some time for you to fully understand it.  There's no need to rush it. And we already know that Chat Noir loves you back, so it will be easier."

"No, Tikki, we know that Chat _likes_ me, we don't necessarily know that he  _loves_ me."

Tikki giggled.  "Of course Chat Noir loves you.  Haven't you seen all the looks he gives you, his nicknames for you, even all of his confessions to you?  And do I even need to mention  _Dislocœur?"_

"You're always going to hold that over me aren't you?" Marinette asked with a pout.

"Well, true love's kiss only works if both people kissing feel true love, so what does that tell you?"

Marinette raised her finger to argue then paused.  Bringing her hand to her chin, she thought, the pieces slowly coming together.  "But if that's true, then not only does Chat love me, but I loved him then?"

"You must have since it broke his spell.  Love isn't just reserved for your crush; you love your friends and family, don't you?  So the love you felt for Chat Noir at that time could have just been true love on a friendship level."  Tikki paused, thought for a moment, then frowned.  "Actually, that doesn't make much sense concerning what I know about true love.  Maybe you've been denying your love for Chat because you were too focused on Adrien?  To be honest, true love's complicated as hell."

Marinette laughed.  "5000 years and you still haven't figured it out?  Humanity's never going to figure it out, then."  She looked at the clock, then yawned.  "Maybe I should just sleep on it?"

Tikki paused; her antennae fluttering for a few moments and her mind elsewhere as Marinette got into bed.  "Y-yes, sleep may bring you answers.  Maybe it'll help me out too...goodnight Marinette."  In a red blur, Tikki flew into the bag that was her bed.  "Night, Tikki."

* * *

_"Détransformez-moi,_ Plagg," Adrien said as he landed in his room.

"You know, I never would have thought that Ladybug would've been the first to make a move," Plagg said as Adrien began pacing the room.  Flying over to one of his secret cheese stashes, Plagg called out, "so, Romeo, what's your next move?"  Adrien didn't respond.

Plagg flew over to him, landing on his head as he continued to eat.  "My opinion?  Wait a day or so, make it seem like you haven't been thinking about the kiss or Ladybug before making a move.  Ladies love the suspense."  Adrien continued to ignore him.

"Hello?  Adrien?  I know your supercrush kissing you might shock you, but it's like she blew your mind out back there; you haven't said a word since.  You ok?"

Adrien paused and blinked, then brushed Plagg out of his hair.  "Plagg, who's Black Cat?"

Plagg grumbled as he picked up the cheese knocked out of his hand from his eviction.  "Last I checked, you were.  Although if you're planning on changing the language your name is in, Ladybug's got English already."

"Plagg, I'm being serious.  Those...ghosts called me Black Cat."

Plagg paused, giving Adrien a look that said  _really?_ before shaking his head.  "Man, Ladybug's kiss really messed you up if you're seeing ghosts."

"They happened before the kiss, Plagg!  You were there, didn't you see them?  On the building and Eiffel Tower?"

"Kid, I may see what happens while in the suit, but that doesn't mean I pay much attention.  Yeah I heard you talking to yourself, but there was never anyone else besides Ladybug."

Adrien fell onto his bed.  "Maybe it's an akuma," Plagg said, "some kind of mind-messer-upper.  Like drugs, but from an akuma."

"Hawkmoth already created an akuma today, remember?"

"He's had two akuma in succession before:  remember  _L'Invisible_ and  _Antibug?_ _"_

"But those were created on two different days, and there were signs of  _L'Invisible_ attacking Chloé before.  If it's an akuma, why did it wait until now?"

Plagg shrugged.  "Beats me."

Adrien sat up.  "So you've never had a Chosen before take the name Black Cat?"

Plagg hesitated.  "I've had dozens of Chosens before.  All chose some form of Black Cat, Chat Noir, whatever you wanna call it."

Adrien fell back.  Plagg floated over to him, watching him from above.  After a moment of silence, Plagg shrugged and moved to another cheese stash.  As he devoured the Camembert, Adrien lay in thought before standing up and walking over to his computer.  Plagg followed over, nibbling on a triangle of cheese that remained.  He watched as Adrien began searching for Black Cat and anything related to his Miraculous, but finding nothing.  As Plagg was about to leave Adrien to his own devices, Adrien mumbled, "she called for me in a British accent; maybe Black Cat was English?"  Plagg froze, dropping his Camembert as Adrien continued searching.

Deciding that this may be emergency enough, Plagg opened a telepathic channel to Tikki.   _Tikki, we may have a serious problem._

After a few moments of silence, Tikki responded.   _Serious enough to meet at the Guardian's?_

_Yes._

A few seconds later, he felt Tikki cut off their communication, knowing she would be there once her Chosen was asleep.

"Hey Adrien, it's late.  You have school tomorrow and the last thing I need is a rushed morning," Plagg hinted.  Adrien turned to him, then to his computer's clock.  With a sigh, Adrien complied, turning off his monitors.  "You're right Plagg."  Adrien's face lit up; "maybe Alya will be able to help figure this out tomorrow, too!"

"G'night, Adrien," Plagg said as he floated to the bed Adrien had made him.  After a few minutes, Plagg heard Adrien's breathing slow and, before long, a quiet snore came from his Chosen's bed.  Silently, Plagg left his bed and phased out of the mansion into the night, flying towards Master Fu's parlor.

After a few minutes of flight, he phased into the parlor.  A moment later, Tikki rushed him, asking a million questions.  Plagg put his hands on her shoulders and she immediately stopped.  "On tonight's patrol, my Chosen saw a ghost.  I didn't.  It called him Black Cat, and according to him it was a British woman."

Tikki paled.  "But that's not possible."  "I know, Tikki."  "We erased Black Cat years ago."  "I know Tikki."  "So then how-"  "I don't know, Tikki.  I don't know."

The two kwami floated in the air for a moment in silence.  "What happened, exactly?  According to your Chosen?"

"Well, according to him, he saw either two ghosts or the same ghost twice:  once on a building, the other on the Eiffel Tower.  Both times, the ghost called him Black Cat.  They spoke English with a British accent and that was it.  Kid's really freaked out about it; I don't think he's even registered Ladybug's kiss yet."

"So, what are we going to do?"

Plagg sighed.  "I don't know, Tikki.  I don't want to lose this one, he's too...he's a good person."

"Why don't you just monitor the situation, then?  Keep me updated and pay attention to see if he's seeing more of these ghosts.  If it gets worse-" Plagg shot her a look.  "He'll be alright, Plagg, I'm sure of it.  But for now, I'd suggest just watching, steering him away from Black Cat all you can."

Plagg hugged her.  "Thanks for the advice, Tikki."  They remained hugging for a few minutes in silence, then said their goodbyes and flew off to their respective Chosens, both fearing what the future might bring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It may be a little bit before I update the next chapter; finals and wisdom-tooth removal will keep me away from here (so if I write a chapter/story that seems like I was high at the time of writing it, I probably was on pain meds).  
> Til next time.  
> Peace.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien dreams about Black Cat...or is it more than just a dream?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to get out. I've been busy with preparing to move as well as the removal of my wisdom teeth, so I haven't had much time to write.

Adrien loved his late-night patrols as Chat Noir.  The freedom of leaping from building to building with no one interrupting him thrilled him to his core and the fact that it happened late at night helped to clear his mind and ease his body after long hours modelling and studying.  Out here, he found peace.

As he landed on top of a building next to the river, he stretched his arms above his head and yawned.  Now that he thought about it, he didn't remember transforming and leaving his room, so how did he get there?   _Now that I think about it, I don't even know where-_

A loud bell interrupted his thoughts, making him jump.  He turned around to face the sound, ready for an akuma.  Instead, he saw a large tower with a clock at the top, the time reading 1.  He stared at the clock for a few minutes, trying to place where he'd seen it before when it hit him:  Big Ben.  As he looked around, he realized that he was no longer in Paris, but in London.  "What the-," he said, then covered his mouth.  Moving his hand away, he spoke again.  "Hello," he said in English, "this is weird."   _I don't even know any English._  Looking around, he decided to drop down to the street to see if there was a newspaper or anything to help him figure out what was going on.

As he landed, he heard the sound of metal clinking come from his suit, and his chest felt heavy.  He looked down and realized that he wasn't wearing his normal outfit.  He ran down the street until he found a bakery with a large and reflective window in the front.  Stepping in front of it, he saw a man that was taller than Adrien normally was.  He wore a pair of heavy black boots and black slacks.  A white dress shirt was half-tucked in and the sleeves were rolled and buttoned to the elbow.  Adrien frowned as he tucked the untucked shirt back in, then paused to see the his new gloves.  On his hands were a pair of gloves that ended in a clawed hand.  When he flexed his hand, the claws extended further into miniature daggers from his fingertips.  His eyes went back to a black vest with Chat Noir's signature green pinstriping it.   _That must be where the metal is_ , he thought, _probably some added safety._ As he unzipped his vest, he found a large number of throwing knives hidden inside, ready for a quick throw should it be needed.  He zipped it back up and looked to his face.  A thick line of soot acted as his mask and, although his green eyes remained, his right eye had changed, the pupil now slit like a cat's eye.  His blonde hair was slicked back and two black cat ears stuck out on top of his head.  He was an entirely different person.

He turned around to look at his tail when he noticed that there were two batons sitting on his lower back, almost completely covered except for where he would grab them.   _I wonder when Plagg will give me two batons..._

Adrien continued down the street but couldn't find any newsstands or newspapers.  As he looked around, he slowly began to realize that something was off.  He had never been to London before, but he was fairly certain that they had working street lights there.  From what he had seen so far, there seemed only to be oil lights on a few corners.  Finding nothing to help him on the ground, Adrien decided to get back up to the roofs to get a bird's-eye view of the situation.  He jumped to a low window and used it to jump to the roof of a small building next to him.  He looked around and decided on a nearby building that he could easily scale with his baton.  As he ran towards it, Adrien tried to reach back for a baton, but his arms wouldn't respond.  He tried to stop but his feet kept moving:  Adrien couldn't control this body.  As he neared the edge of the building he was on, Adrien tried to close his eyes to no avail, but suddenly his arms moved back, grabbing the two staves and leaping towards the next building.  Adrien heard the sound of metal on brick and closed his eyes, prepared for a fall.  After a few seconds, he opened them, realizing he hadn't moved since he hit the building.  Looking to his hands, he realized that what he had weren't staves, but two hiltless thin knives that were now partially embedded in the building.  Looking down to his feet, he realized why his boots were so heavy as two short and thick blades stuck out from each foot, sticking into the brick building.  His body began moving again on autopilot, pulling his feet out and moving them up before doing the same with the knives in his hands, almost running on the knives up the building.  As he leapt onto the building's roof, the knives in his boots retracted and Adrien studied the knives in his hands.

Each knife had a grip like his baton, but quickly morphed into a long thin blade beyond where he gripped it, the blade extending at least 30cm.  On both knives where the blad reached the grip was a green paw print just like the one on his ring.  He brushed his finger against the blade to test it's sharpness and pulled his thumb back when he accidentally sliced his finger.   _These are dangerously sharp..._ He tossed one up in the air experimentally and caught it, then tossed it up again.  His ears flicked as he heard something behind him and his body moved without him once more, snatching the knife in the air by the blade and turned to throw it towards the sound.  He stopped instantly when he saw the source of the sound, a woman in black trousers wearing a red and black spotted shirt, a matching mask across her eyes.  Twin yo-yo's sat on each side of her waist, and she smiled.   _Ladybug,_ Adrien thought, then paused.   _That's not right...it's-_

"Lady Luck," he said, "you look quite dashing tonight, if I do say so myself."

Lady Luck smiled.  "And you're looking quite dressed up yourself.  Tired of the disheveled look, Black Cat?" she said as she approached him.

Adrien looked down to where she eyed him and realized she meant the shirt he had tucked in.  "Ah, I must have forgotten to fix that earlier," his body said, moving again to pull it out without Adrien's permission.  "So, how was your patrol tonight, my Luckiest?"

"Boring as usual.  There wasn't even a purse snatcher to nab.  How about you, my Unluckiest?"

Adrien smiled.   _Equally as boring,_ he tried to say.  Instead he lost control once more as Black Cat spoke.  "I thought I saw something, but it was only a stray.  Isn't it odd how quiet the Mothman and Peacock have been?"  _Mothman?  Peacock?  Is Mothman Black Cat's Hawkmoth?_ Adrien asked himself.   _Then who is Peacock?_

Lady Luck nodded.  "There hasn't been a demon in days and Peacock's been in hiding ever since we chased her down.  Maybe she's finally given up?"

Black Cat shook his head.  "Elizabeth wouldn't give up that easily."  A face flashed in Adrien's mind when Black Cat said Elizabeth followed by a blue-masked woman.  Without anything else, Adrien knew that this Elizabeth must be Peacock, possibly another Miraculous wielder.  Lady Luck hugged him.  "I'm scared, Jack.  What if whatever happened to Elizabeth happens to one of us?"

_They know each other's identities?_

"It won't, Eileen.  The Guardian already told us that she lost control because of her Miraculous.  She's had it for, what, a year now?"  Lady Luck looked up at him.  "Meanwhile you and I are reaching 7 years now.  If we haven't lost control now, then we never will."  A series of images flashed through Adrien's mind, most of them surrounding his knives, and it scared him, although he didn't know why.  Lady Luck sighed.  "I hope we can help her," she said.

Black Cat kissed her.  "Me too, my Luckiest."  She smiled.  "What do you say we head home, hm BC?"

Adrien felt a hesitation from Black Cat and another series of images passed through his mind, this time of a street corner and a girl.  Adrien's heart sank as Black Cat spoke.

"I'll meet you at home, darling.  I want to do one more circle, see if I can find anything."  Lady Luck nodded and smiled before throwing a yo-yo and swinging away.  After a few moments, Black Cat moved.  Jumping from building to building, Adrien found Black Cat on top of a building looking down at the corner he'd seen in Black Cat's thoughts.

"C'mon," Black Cat whispered to himself, "it's about time, where are you."  A second later, a woman rounded the corner and came to a stop under the light.   _Don't do this, Black Cat,_ Adrien tried to call to his host,  _don't ruin what you have with Lady Luck._

Adrien noticed Black Cat turn his ring around, his insignia now facing inwards.  "Sorry, Plagg, can't have you reporting this," he said before jumping down.  Adrien sensed something was off; this wasn't some tryst like he thought.  This was something else...

Black Cat stepped into the light cast by the lamppost and cleared his throat.  The woman turned with a jump.  "Oh, mister Black Cat, what are you doing out here?"

Black Cat smiled, "just patrolling the night, looking for anything suspicious..."  He approached her slowly, never breaking contact with her eyes.  "Black Cat?  What are-"

Adrien saw a blur pass in front of him, then realized it was his arm.  At the end of his arm was one of his knives, and a red line slowly formed along one side of the woman's neck, blood slowly dripping down her throat.  Another blur sliced the right side of her neck, cutting through an artery and sending a splash of blood into Adrien's face.

Adrien shot up, back in his room.  His hand went to his face and he felt something wet.  Freaking out, Adrien flipped on the lamp next to his bed, looking at his hand.  Instead of the crimson he'd seen splash onto his face, his hand was only covered in sweat.  "A dream," he said as he started to shiver.  "It was only a dream," he said.  His thumb throbbed and he looked at it, thinking he'd slept on it wrong.  Instead, a small red cut slowly bled.  He quickly grabbed a tissue to soak up the blood and thought to when he could've hurt it in the past few days, but nothing came to mind.  Then he remembered the knife in his dreams and inspected the cut again.  It was incredibly clean and was the same length as the one he'd given himself in the dream.  Adrien remembered the woman's voice; it was the same voice the ghosts had called to him in.

Adrien looked around for Plagg; if anyone would have answers, it would be him.  But Plagg was nowhere to be found.  Adrien sighed as he turned out the light.   _It's not the first time Plagg's sneaked off for some cheese, and I doubt it'll be the last,_ Adrien thought as he closed his eyes.

"Black Cat?  What are-"

Adrien's eyes shot open and he sat up, expecting to see the girl, but his room was empty.

* * *

Plagg floated back to the Agreste manor in silence.  His talk with Tikki did only calmed him slightly, and he knew that the only thing he could do was wait.  Wait and hope that Adrien would forget about Black Cat.

He reached the house and saw that Adrien's light was on.  He darted into a wall, sticking his head out to see what was going on.  The light turned off before Plagg could see what was happening, but Plagg's night vision allowed him to see Adrien lay down, then shoot straight back up again.  He watched as Adrien brought his knees up to his chest and sat with his arms wrapped around them, his eyes darting from side to side.

Fearing the worst, Plagg scanned the room looking for any intruders before phasing inside and floating over to Adrien.

"Hey, you alright?" he asked as he got closer.  Adrien jumped, then relaxed.

"I...I'm doing alright now.  I'm sorry; thought I heard something," Adrien said.  "Where were you, by the way?"

Plagg looked at Adrien carefully; he could tell that Adrien did in fact hear something.  "Just out and about.  I like to look around the house while you're asleep," Plagg lied.  If Adrien knew it, he didn't say anything.  Plagg yawned; "well, I'm gonna hit the hay now.  Need anything?"

Adrien paused, then slowly shook his head.  "Just some sleep.  Goodnight, Plagg."  And with that, Adrien laid back down and turned away from the kwami.

Plagg floated to his makeshift bed, never taking an eye away from Adrien as he slowly slipped into sleep.

Adrien, on the other hand, didn't close his eyes for the rest of the night.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Til next time.  
> Peace.


	4. Chapter 4

Marinette sat in class, waiting for it to finally end. Sleep had brought her the answers she was looking for, and now she couldn't wait to meet Chat after school. As her mind wandered to her afternoon, Mme. Bustier gave an attention-getting cough. Marinette snapped out of her daydreams prepared for a scolding, but instead Mme. Bustier's eyes were pointed at Adrien, who had fallen asleep at his desk. Nino bumped him, causing him to jerk awake.

"I understand that you're a model and have a busy schedule outside of school, Adrien" she said, "but the classroom is not your bedroom. This is your only warning."

"Sorry, Mme. Bustier; it won't happen again," Adrien replied. Satisfied, Mme. Bustier went back to teaching.

Marinette focused on her classmate. She had never seen him as exhausted as this, and she felt a pang of worry. It slowly faded, though, as Adrien seemed to wake up more and more with each passing minute. As her worry left her, her daydreams towards her interactions with Chat Noir later returned. Soon, the bell rang and she was able to run home.

"Are you ready?" Tikki asked as Marinette put her books down.

"I am. I know what I'm going to say, and I'm ready to tell him who I am. Can you tell him to meet me at the  _Parc des Princes?"_

Tikki nodded. "Why reveal your identity at a football stadium?" she asked.

Marinette smiled. "It's where we first fought together, where our first victory, short-lived as it was, took place. I can't think of a better place to meet up for this."

Tikki smiled. "Alright, I've told him where we'll meet up."

Marinette took a last look in her vanity, then turned to Tikki. "Well, no going back now. Tikki,  _transformez-moi!_ _"_

A flash of red filled her room and Ladybug climbed out. Her heart pumping, she made her way to the stadium. When she reached it, she sat down on the roof, feet dangling over the field below. Minutes later, she saw a black figure walking on the field. With a smile, she whistled to her partner. Chat looked up and waved to her. Ladybug attached her yo-yo to the roof and rappelled down from the roof.

As she landed, Chat said, "I don't know if you know, but there's no game today; a real shame, I know."

Ladybug shook her head at his attempt at humor. "That's not why I asked you to meet me here. I asked you to meet me here..." she took a deep breath, "we've been working together for a bit over a year now. We've gone through some easy akuma, some tough akuma, and we've saved each other more times than I can count. I trust you more than anyone else in the world. And Chat..." her heart beat in her chest like a drum, "I think it's time we revealed our identities."

Chat smiled. "Well, now I understand why you wanted to meet here, but isn't it dangerous to reveal our identities here?"

Ladybug was confused. "There's nothing going on here today, so I knew it would be empty; how is that dangerous?"

Chat pointed in succession towards several cameras, "because those are always on to keep an eye out for intruders. I do know a place where we can go for privacy, though," he said, holding out his hand for her to take. Tentatively, she took his hand. He swung her towards him, and whispered, "hold on tight," before pulling out and extending his cane, pushing them to the roof. As they stepped on the roof, Chat waved. "Follow me," he said before walking off. Just as he reached the edge of the roof, though, a distant building collapsed. Turning to each other, they nodded, silently confirming what the other was thinking: akuma.

The duo leapt from building to building as they approached the akuma when, without warning, the building they were standing on shook. Ladybug stumbled, but Chat was able to walk to the edge.

"Uh, Ladybug, I think I've found the akuma..." he said. He turned around and ran away from the edge towards her, grabbing her arm as he passed. An explosion came from behind them, and she turned her head to see what they were running from. She could see the dust and destroyed edge of the building, but beyond that there was nothing there. Her confusion didn't last long as a car slammed onto the roof just as Chat threw her to the next building, launching himself the same way just before the building broke a second later.

She could hear laughter, the akuma's, she imagined, echo above the sound of wreckage. Turning to her partner, Chat explained, "I didn't get a good look at him, but he didn't throw that car, he punched it!"

Ladybug gulped. "Alright, so try to keep our distance and watch out for flying debris; got it."

The heroes jumped to the ground before the akuma could strike another building, and they finally got a good look at it. The akuma was a large shirtless man with a barrel chest and giant arms that had straps hanging loose at various intervals on his arms. His knuckles were wrapped and metal plated, and on his head was a large spiked crown. He laughed, saying, "so these are Paris' superheroes? These twigs? Well, looks like I'll be able to get some practice on you at least."

The akuma leaped towards Ladybug and Chat Noir at a frightening speed, and the heroes had almost no time to dive out of the way. The akuma immediately charged after Ladybug, who was able to use him to jump towards Chat. "We can't outrun him," she said. Suddenly, the ground beneath them rumbled before cracking apart. The akuma had caused a small earthquake with his punches to the ground alone. "I won't give you the time to come up with a plan," he said.

Chat motioned with his hand, using a signal they had made for the more intelligent akuma:  _you plan, I distract_. Ladybug nodded, whipping her yo-yo to a nearby rock and flinging it to make the akuma think that she was still attacking. Chat, meanwhile, had closed the distance between himself and the akuma.

As the akuma swung at him, Chat ducked, driving his staff into its stomach. Instead of doubling over, though, the akuma grabbed his staff. Chat immediately let go and the akuma tossed it behind him. The akuma smiled, then dived at Chat. Chat dove under the akuma and ran to grab his weapon when he heard Ladybug shout "LEFT!"

Chat immediately dived to his left as the hulk of an akuma seemed to fly right past him, once again blocking him from his weapon. "No, no, no, a little cat such as yourself doesn't need any weapons. Now, are you more man or pussycat?" the akuma chided. Ladybug was frantic, trying to think of some way to stop this akuma before Chat got hurt. Chat took up a boxing stance, seemingly prepared to fight the akuma on its own terms. The akuma smiled. "Now that's more like it! Come on, Chat Noir, give it to me good."

The akuma struck first, sending a flurry of blows in Chat's direction with none contacting. As the flurry continued, Ladybug noticed that the akuma seemed to be slowing down; _maybe he was getting tired?_ she thought.

Chat had the same thought as the blows became easier and easier to dodge. When they were slow enough, he decided to attack where he noticed the akuma was open. When he jabbed, though, time seemed to slow. He hesitated, and Chat heard a voice whisper something. The akuma's face, previously frowning with strain, had turned into a smile as Chat hesitated. The akuma's fists suddenly retracted, and Chat saw a blow coming with no way to stop it.

Ladybug watched terrified as Chat flew backwards, propelled by a punch that was too quick for her eyes, into the building behind him. By the echoes of destruction she heard, he hadn't been stopped by the building. The akuma burst out in laughter, and Ladybug hesitated, unsure of what to do next. Her feet decided for her, and Ladybug found herself running to the alleys connecting the buildings Chat had passed through, hoping that he was still alive.

She turned the corner and saw the crater that finally stopped her partner, but it was too deep for her to see into. A flash of green shone out of the hole, lasting for only a second before disappearing.  _He's detransformed! Was he knocked unconscious or..._ her mind didn't let her finish. She ran towards the crater, shouting his name.

Suddenly, a gloved hand gripped the edge of the hole.  _He was alive!_ Relief flooded her. "Oh thank God, Chat. I thought you'd-"

But who walked out of the hole wasn't Chat Noir. It looked like him, but his outfit had changed. He now wore what looked to be formal wear, and instead of a mask had some black resin in place of it. One of his eyes changed, too, to a cat's eye. "Chat...?" She said, fear slowly creeping in her.

The man stretched for a moment, then noticed her. He looked her up and down. "You must be the wielder of the Ladybug Miraculous," he said, a thick English accent permeating his French. 

Ladybug nodded, nervous. "Who are you and what have you done to Chat Noir?"

The man wiped himself down. "I am Black Cat, and I'm just...borrowing...Chat's body since he was knocked out. So, who's been corrupted? Duusu? Nooroo?"

"Duusu? Nooroo? Who are they?" she asked warily.

Black Cat shook his head. "Of course you're green." Suddenly, the akuma burst through the building. "There you are; thought you could get away from me?"

"Why's it always gotta be Nooroo," Black Cat mumbled.

"Oh, so you're still alive after that punch?" the akuma asked. "Looks like you want seconds..." The akuma laughed again.

"Chat-I mean, Black Cat, we have to get out of here. He's too strong!"

Black Cat just laughed, crossing his arms. Ladybug felt a chill crawl up her spine; his laugh was more sinister than the akuma's. "Seems like Nooroo's Chosen is just as green as you," he said. 

Black Cat then faced the akuma. "Alright, whatever-your-name-is, you wanna fight?" 

"Did my punch knock you senseless, kitty-cat, or are you just a glutton for punishment?" the akuma taunted. The akuma threw a punch at Black Cat, who stood still.

"CHAT!" Ladybug yelled as the punch connected, but nothing happened: the akuma's fist froze, connected to Black Cat's face.

Suddenly, the akuma's arm twisted in an unhuman way, the sound of bones cracking filling the air. Ladybug watched in horror as the akuma gripped his arm, screaming in pain while Black Cat stood, unphased, shaking his head. Black Cat walked over to the screaming akuma and grabbed the crown. "The demon's in here," he said as he threw it to her. "Just hold on for a second; I've always been curious about a demon's anatomy..."

Ladybug watched, confused, as Black Cat grabbed his batons and pulled them out. Her eyes widened as she realized that they weren't the staves that Chat Noir had, but knives. He stood over the whimpering akuma, knives swishing in the air. Ladybug acted first, throwing her yo-yo around the knives as he brought them up, pulling them out of his hands and away from the akuma. Black Cat whirled around, hate in his eyes. She froze with fear as he slowly walked over to her.

"Why did you do that?" he asked, his voice lethal.

Mustering up her courage, Ladybug responded, "we don't hurt them any more than we need to to get the akuma."

Black Cat stared into her eyes, but Ladybug felt her soul pierced by them. "You can use Miraculous Ladybug, right?"

"N-not without using Lucky Charm firs-"

Black Cat shook his head. "What, were you only Chosen yesterday? Never mind; as long as you purify the akuma, then you have the energy to use it. Just throw up your yo-yo instead.

"Then what's the harm in a little...scientific discovery? The demon, akuma, whatever you want to call it, will be healed and all it's memories forgotten, so where's the harm" he asked. From behind him, Ladybug saw the akuma stand up and prepare to sucker punch Black Cat.

"Behi-" she tried to warn, but Black Cat had already twirled around. Three knives, different than the ones before, embedded themselves into the akuma's remaining arm. Ladybug took this moment to snap the crown in half before Black Cat could stop her and purified the akuma.

Throwing her yo-yo into the air like he said, she called out, "Miraculous Ladybug." The yo-yo opened and ladybugs swarmed out of it, flying to fix all the damages. Black Cat turned around, and Ladybug could see his open vest was full of knives. "Oh, you b-" he said before ladybugs enveloped him. The rest of the ladybugs swarmed the buildings, fixing all the damages and returning the akuma to his human form. 

Slowly, ladybugs began to swarm Black Cat more and more, until all the ladybugs released from her yo-yo were surrounding him. A few seconds later, all the ladybugs dispersed, and standing where Black Cat had been was Chat Noir. His eyes were closed, but after a moment they opened. He looked around for a second, confused.

Ladybug rushed to him, hugging him in silence. He returned it, holding her tight. He could feel her shudder against him.

"I...died again, didn't I?" he whispered. She broke away, shaking her head. "Worse."

Chat's heart sank as the last thing he remembered came to his mind, what the voice had said: "my turn for fun..."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long; so much has happened over the past few months that I haven't had much time to come back to this. I had a plan all set up for this story that I lost during a move, but now I've somewhat recreated the plan so regular updates should return.  
> Til next time.  
> Peace.


	5. Chapter 5

Chat sat in horror after hearing about Black Cat taking over him. He listened as Ladybug explained Black Cat's actions, his mind reeling. As Ladybug concluded her tale, Chat remained silent.

"What's going on, Chat?" Ladybug asked, a mixture of fear and concern in her voice.

Chat shook his head. "I don't know, my Lady," he responded, "I'd been having nightmares about Black Cat since Achilles killed me, but my kwami Plagg said they were nothing but bad dreams. That, and-" Chat hesitated.

"And what?" Ladybug asked.

"And I've been seeing these...ghosts, maybe? of women who Black Cat killed in my dreams."

Ladybug covered her mouth. "He's killed 3 different women so far in my dreams," Chat continued, "all three after patrols with his Ladybug, Lady Luck. Each time is different; sometimes I'm stuck watching the murders for what seems like hours, other times it's over before I even knew what happened."

"Chat..." Ladybug pulled him into a hug, but he didn't return it.

"Ladybug, I don't think we should reveal our identities yet," Chat mumbled, "not with what happened today. What if...what if Black Cat's watching? If he knows who you are, he may target you by taking me over..."

He felt Ladybug nod into his shoulder. Chat closed his eyes and hugged her. "The last thing I want is for something bad to happen to you, my Lady," he whispered.

"We do need to detransform, though," Ladybug said. "Our kwamis owe us an explanation."

"But Plagg says he doesn't know about it," Chat said.

"But Tikki, my kwami, may have some insight," Ladybug said. 

"Then we'll go to where we were headed before the akuma attacked," Chat said. "Follow me." Ladybug nodded and followed as Chat Noir made his way across Paris. After a few minutes, the superheroes arrived at Notre-Dame and entered through one of the top entrances. Chat locked the door behind them as they entered. The room was used for storage and was filled with cloth-covered items. Chat moved past Ladybug, pushing aside a piece of cloth to reveal a hidden area.

"I use this place as an escape from time to time," he confessed. "The priests rarely come up here, but I have encountered them before here, hence why I locked the door."

Ladybug entered the small area; it contained only a small table and a couple of chairs. Chat walked in behind her then moved to the far side. Moving another piece of cloth, Chat revealed a miniature fridge. "Plagg loves cheese, so I had to sneak this up here to keep it cool. Thankfully, there's power outlets up here," Chat said as he opened the fridge and removed a container of camembert. "I also have some water and fruit in here; do you want anything?" he asked.

Ladybug shook her head as she looked around more. The alcove was lit by a stained glass window above them. The scratch of a chair moving made her jump and turn. Chat had moved one chair to the back of the other so that they could sit facing away from one another, keeping their identities secret while they talked with their kwamis.

Ladybug sat down in one of the chairs. A moment later, Chat did the same.

"Are you ready?" Ladybug asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be, my Lady," Chat responded.

Sucking in a deep breath, Ladybug said,  _"détransformez-moi."_

Chat Noir repeated the phrase a moment after the red light dissipated, briefly turning the room green.

A moment later, both kwamis floated in front of their respective Chosens.

"Tikki," Marinette said, "do you know what's going on?" Tikki turned her head away, her hands fumbling. 

"Plagg..." Adrien's voice was stern. Plagg floated in the air in silence, ignoring the cheese Adrien had put on the table for him.

After a minute of silence from all four, Tikki finally spoke. "They need to know, Plagg."

"That doesn't make it any easier to talk about," Plagg responded.

"Plagg, just what the hell is going on with me?" Adrien blurted out. "I was possessed and nearly killed someone! Don't you think that owes us an explanation?"

"Chat Noir's right," Marinette said, "we need to know what's going on, we need to know who Black Cat is and how to stop him!"

Another silence followed. "Fine. You want to know who Black Cat is?" Plagg said, "then I'll tell you. He's the worst mistake I ever made, and he's the reason why there are so many rules regarding you two now."

"Plagg, do you really think now's the time to-" Plagg ignored Tikki, interrupting her.

"It all started in the 1880's. Our rules were different, and our Chosen's knew each other's identities immediately. Each kwami knew who wielded the other kwamis, something else we don't do anymore. They also knew the identities of their enemies, who knew them too. They could also control what us as kwamis could see and hear when they were transformed. We'd never had a problem beforehand and trusted our Chosens completely, something we can't afford to do now. At that time, we decided on two English Chosen who were engaged: they became Lady Luck and Black Cat.

"At the time, another kwami had also chosen someone. Unfortunately, he chose someone who manipulated him into committing crimes, like Hawkmoth. This person was Eileen, Lady Luck's father, Arthur, who also held the Butterfly Miraculous and was known as Mothman. As a result, fighting him was more complicated and lasted years. Our Chosen needed help, so another Miraculous was chosen: the Peacock Miraculous. That's where Elizabeth came in, a woman who was close to both Eileen and Jack, who was Black Cat. But, after a year of helping them, she switched sides to join Mothman."

"What does this have to do with Black Cat killing people?" Marinette asked.

"Just listen," Tikki hushed her Chosen.

"One of the Butterfly Miraculous' abilities is to see the true nature of a person; Nooroo, the butterfly kwami, tried to warn me about Jack when I chose him, but I ignored him. That was my first mistake. He was sadistic, but because I didn't want to admit I was wrong in choosing him, I ignored the signs. My second mistake was telling Jack how to control what I saw and heard. As a result, God only knows how many animals he disected before moving on to humans, which leads us to now. Six people were killed by Jack. Half of them were prostitutes that he simply did for fun. The other three were Elizabeth, Arthur, and, finally, Eileen."

Both Marinette and Adrien gasped; Tikki remained silent. "The reason Arthur and, eventually, Elizabeth fought against Lady Luck and Black Cat was because they learned the truth about Jack and knew they needed to stop him before he went on a killing spree. To a point, they failed. Jack killed Arthur with a Cataclysm, something I never want to see. He then captured Elizabeth and tortured her in secret until she died. As he stopped me from knowing what was going on each time, I only learned about these incidents from his journals.

"Lady Luck eventually found out about the deaths of the prostitutes thanks to a letter sent from her father before he died. Tikki warned me, and I tried to get the ring back before Lady Luck could confront him. Jack had expected this, though, and decided to kill her with me watching. He trapped me in a golden cage before Lady Luck got there, and since Eileen had already transformed, I couldn't warn Tikki. I was forced to watch as Jack convinced Eileen to talk it out, citing a fake plan that her father planned to have them betray each other, even claiming he'd received a letter saying the same thing about her. She let her guard down, and Jack stuck a knife into her stomach a moment later, killing her. The minute she detransformed after dying, Jack caught Tikki and put him in the same cage as me."

Plagg was interrupted by a sniffle from Tikki, who started crying a moment later. Marinette cupped her hands and her kwami floated down into them. "It's ok, Tikki, it's ok." Adrien could hear the sadness in Ladybug's voice, though, and he was sure she was holding back tears. Adrien reached a hand backwards, holding it where he knew she could see it. After a moment, he felt her hand wrap around his. She was trembling.

"Although Jack knew a lot about us, Tikki and I hadn't told him everything. Although gold can trap us, if we're together, we can reform it into another metal by combining our powers. After Tikki calmed down enough, we turned the gold into iron and got out. I was terrified and furious at Jack. Before he knew that we had escaped, I attacked him. As you know, your powers come from us. Chat Noir's powers, though, are a very weak version of my powers. My Cataclysm is strong enough to affect the entire planet if I wanted it to. And, if concentrated on a single person, erase that person from existence entirely, which is what I did to Jack. By destroying him so completely, I also erased all knowledge of Black Cat from that time period. Unfortunately, that included all the superheroes from that era, which is why you'll never find any information on them.

"Unless, of course, you look up the murders themselves," Plagg continued. "Since he was destroyed, the murders went unsolved. The press had a field day trying to uncover the mystery. 5 bodies discovered, all female, all mutilated heavily with a blade. The newspapers decided on a name for him: Jack the Ripper since he seemed to be an everyday-man who ripped apart his victims."

Plagg sighed. "And now you know who Black Ca-"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THIS EARLIER?" Adrien shouted. Marinette heard his chair fall over but kept her head forward. "ALL THIS TIME YOU KNEW I WAS HAVING NIGHTMARES AND SEEING PEOPLE! WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING!"

"Chat Noir, Plagg and I went through hell with Black Cat; we never wanted to return to those memories-"

"But why hide this from us if I'm seeing Black Cat and his victims in my dreams?"

"Kid, I was trying to protect you. Ignorance is bliss, and I hoped that ignorance would be the key to Black Cat disappearing for good. I'm sorry I was wrong, but I can't always be right," Plagg said, desperation in his voice.

"No," Marinette said, "Chat has every right to be mad. I know it must be hard for both of you to revisit these memories, but now Black Cat's back. How is that possible?"

"I don't know," Plagg said. "When I erased him, the only thing left was my Miraculous, something no one can destroy."

"Something that was created for the sole purpose of granting us physical forms," Tikki said. "Plagg, what if, by destroying him while he still wore the ring, his soul escaped into the Miraculous?"

Plagg paused in thought. "I did only start having dreams and visions about Black Cat after Achilles stabbed me," Adrien said.

"But you've died before," Marinette said, quietly. " _Chronogirl_ killed you in the first timeline."

"I died?" Adrien said, shocked, "and you never said anything about it?" He struggled not to turn to face her.

"You did, once again protecting me. And I never said anything about it because I wanted to believe it never happened, which I guess when the timelines were fixed, never did," Marinette said.

"Plagg, has any Chat Noir died besides me while either wearing the Miraculous or transformed?"

Plagg thought for a moment and everyone held their breaths. "There's been close calls," he finally said, "but you're the first to actually have died before a Ladybug could fix everything."

"Then if the soul-Miraculous theory is right," Tikki said, "then that's the reason why you can see and be possessed by him. Which means-"

"-all we have to do is purge his soul from the Miraculous," Plagg said, upsedt. Adrien could see a worried expression on Plagg's face as he looked towards where he assumed Tikki was. "What's wrong?" Marinette asked, and Adrien assumed Tikki wore the same expression.

"Every few thousand years, we need to cleanse the Miraculouses so that they remain uncorrupted," Tikki explained, "but in order for a cleansing of the Miraculouses, we'd need all active Miraculouses and Chosens present."

"Including Hawkmoth," Plagg finished.

Both superheroes felt a shiver creep up their spine. "How are we going to convince him to help us? He's our sworn enemy!" Adrien asked.

"Tikki and I may be able to handle getting Hawkmoth's attention. Depending on Nooroo, we may be able to convince Hawkmoth to meet up with us, even if it's just for a moment to talk. Otherwise, you'll have to defeat him first," Plagg explained.

Adrien could hear Ladybug gulp. "If that's the case, we'll have to break one of the rules we put in place for your safety," Tikki said. "We may have to teach you some special abilities, like the one Black Cat used to break the akuma's arm earlier. By learning these, you'll be able to fight Hawkmoth's akuma better, giving you a better chance at drawing him out for a conflict."

"After today, I think Hawkmoth will let up on the akuma for a few days, maybe even a week," Plagg said. "Tikki and I were terrified by Black Cat, but Nooroo was on the receiving end of a Cataclysm; he's still scared of me, and no matter who Hawkmoth is, he will be too frightened to attack for a few days because of his return."

"So what do we do until then?" Marinette asked.

"Unfortunately, all you two can do for the moment is wait," Tikki said. "We'll keep you informed as we learn more."

Marinette could hear Chat sigh behind her. "Then I guess that's all we can do for now," he said. "It's time to go, Plagg.  _Transformez-moi."_ The alcove filled up once more with green, and a moment later red as Ladybug transformed. Once both were transformed, they hugged once again. "We'll fix this,  _mon minou,_ I promise."

Chat unlocked the door, holding it open for Ladybug. Just as he was about to leave, he paused. "I forgot to put the cheese Plagg didn't eat back," he said. "If the smell gets out, it won't be gouda."

Ladybug smiled. "I know camembert when I smell it, but thanks for trying to cheer me up some," Ladybug said. With a final hug and a peck on the cheek, Ladybug left.

Chat walked back to the alcove. Picking up the cheese, he put it in the fridge. He froze; one of the apples he kept in there was gone.

"Y'know, I was never much of a cheese fan, but you can never go wrong with an apple," a voice said from behind him. Slowly, Chat Noir turned around.

Sitting in the seat Ladybug had been occupying moments before was Black Cat, holding the missing apple. "So," he said, "you now know who I am. And you have a theory on how to get rid of me." He took out a knife and slowly sliced a side of the apple. Stabbing the slice, he brought it to his mouth, popping it in.

"You're done for, Jack," Chat said. "Once we get Hawkmoth, you'll be gone for good."

Black Cat frowned, then stabbed his forearm. Searing pain shot through Adrien's arm. He looked up to Black Cat, who didn't seem to feel the pain.

"Gee, that looks like it hurts," he said, yanking the knife from his arm and eliciting a scream from Chat Noir. "Don't worry; it won't leave a physical mark, just a psychological one," Black Cat said as he cut another slice from the apple. Chat Noir glared at him.

Black Cat kicked his legs up on the table as he continued to eat. "I don't really know what powers I have in this form, but so far I know I can hurt you, possess you when you're unconscious. Too bad I can't do anything while you sleep, right?" Black Cat sneered. "Or...can I?"

"It doesn't matter," Chat said through clenched teeth, "we're going to beat you no matter what."

"Brave words from someone who's too thick to realize who his own partner is. I've only been with you for just over a week now and I'm almost positive I know who Ladybug is. If you can't even figure that out, can you even hope to think that what you're doing is right?"

"I trust Ladybug, and even though Plagg lied to me about you, he did it hoping it would help me. I trust him as well."

Black Cat frowned. He stabbed his thigh with the knife, causing Chat to collapse, holding his leg and trying not to scream. After a few minutes of twisting and turning the knife, Black Cat took it out. He stood up and walked over to Chat, who lay prone on the ground. Finishing the apple, he dropped it to the floor next to Chat's head. "That was your warning. Just drop the cleansing and let me have control every once in a blue moon. Take a pill or something to knock yourself out, give me free reign. Hell, I'll even teach you a trick or two. But if you don't...I don't know if I can kill you yet, but if you try to 'cleanse' me, we'll find out, okay?"

Chat said nothing, glaring at the phantom above him. Black Cat smiled.  _"Au-revoir_ , kitty-cat." Black Cat dissipated and Chat was left on the ground, still clutching his leg.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those curious as to why Chat Noir says he's seen 3 women die now, it's because multiple days have gone by since Chapter 1 and I didn't want to add more gore than necessary to this story.  
> Til next time.  
> Peace.


	6. Chapter 6

It had been three days since everything was revealed. Marinette had informed Master Fu of what was happening and Tikki, Plagg, and Wayzz had each tried to contact Nooroo. But with how tightly Hawkmoth has Nooroo under his control, none of them knew if he would be able to get the messages let alone respond.

At the same time, though, there hadn't been an akuma attack since Black Cat showed himself; Paris, for once, was quiet. Each night, though, Paris' superheroes continued their patrols, Chat Noir more hesitantly than his partner. And, known only to the heroes, a third member joined their patrols, though he was only visible to Chat. Ladybug could neither see nor hear what Black Cat was doing or saying to Chat, but whatever it was, it was hurting Chat and distracting him. She even saw him once recoil as if he were stabbed, but he brushed off her concern and pushed on. Ladybug only worried more.

Just as they finished their patrol on the third night, something caught Ladybug's eye. "Chat," she whispered, "I saw something move over there." Chat scanned the roof where she was pointing. "I don't see-wait..." Chat motioned Ladybug to follow then jumped to the roof, pouncing on something. Ladybug leapt over and Chat held out a white butterfly, wings between his gloved fingers.

"That's a purified akuma," Ladybug said. She slowly turned, looking around confused. Movement caught her attention once more: another white butterfly, flying in one place on the next roof over.

The two heroes cautiously made their way to the next building. From where the butterfly was, they could see two more on the next building.

"It could be a trap," Chat warned.

"It could be," Ladybug said, "but we'll never know unless we follow them."

Chat paused, his eyes following the butterflies, Black Cat out of view for the moment. "At least it's not spiders," he said, earning a giggle from Ladybug. The heroes jumped to the next building, then scouted for any threats. They repeated this process for what felt like an hour, jumping from building to building. They soon found themselves in front of a building with a large dome on top. The dome had a large glass window with a butterfly design on it that all the butterflies they passed were now flying into.

"Is that...Hawkmoth's lair?" Chat whispered to his partner.

Ladybug said nothing, staring at the aperture where the butterflies were disappearing into.

As the last butterflies vanished, Chat could see Black Cat leaning on the dome. "I wouldn't if I were you," he shouted to Chat before disappearing.

"I don't know if we should go in," Ladybug whispered.

Chat frowned and stood up, slowly walking to the dome. "Black Cat said we shouldn't; that's all I need to know that we need to," he said. Ladybug gulped, then stood up and followed him.

The hole in the window was wide enough for them to slide into. Chat went in first, falling into the open room, his landing echoing. Ladybug joined him a moment later. A loud, mechanical whirring filled the air and Ladybug and Chat Noir whipped around to watch the window they came in cover in metal.

Chat could hear Cat's laughter over the whirring and saw him outside the window. "I warned ya," he said as their escaped finally closed, leaving the heroes trapped in darkness. Chat felt Ladybug press up against his back, vibrations from her telling him that she had drawn her yo-yo. He followed suit, pulling his staff out, his eyes scanning the room.

Suddenly, lights came to life, illuminating the room and a voice came to the heroes that chilled Chat's blood.

"Ladybug, Chat Noir," it said, "I ask that you put your weapons away. I did not bring you here to fight you."

Chat didn't know why, but he listened to Hawkmoth and put his weapon away. "Chat," Ladybug asked, "what are you doing?"

"I don't know," Chat whispered.

"Thank you, Chat Noir," Hawkmoth said, "and Ladybug, I understand your distrust, but I give you my word that I will not attack you as long as you are here."

"And why should I believe that after everything you've done?" Ladybug called out.

A door opened and both heroes turned to it. Hawkmoth walked out calmly, confidently. Chat felt a shiver run up his spine. He saw Ladybug hesitate, her yo-yo losing power for a moment before returning.

"Because I want answers that only the two of you can provide. In return, I will answer some of your questions," he said, stopping his approach in the middle of the room.

Ladybug slowly stopped her yo-yo, but kept it in her hands, her eyes wary. "That is sufficient enough," Hawkmoth said, "now, please follow me." Hawkmoth turned around and began to walk back to the door. He was stopped when Ladybug's yo-yo wrapped around him.

"We have no reason to trust you Hawkmoth, so why should we follow you in your own base?" Ladybug said.

Hawkmoth sighed. "Do you two know who the other is?" he asked, "because I do. I figured out Chat Noir's identity several months ago, but I only just learned yours, Ladybug, a few days ago."

"You're lying," she said, but Chat wasn't as certain.

"I promise you I'm not," Hawkmoth said.

"Then prove-" Chat covered her mouth. "Hold him there," he said as he slowly walked over to him. He stared into Hawkmoth's eyes, then said, "whisper my name to me. No one else's, do you understand?"

Hawkmoth's mouth curled into a sinister smile. "Of course, Adrien Agreste," he whispered. Chat stared at him a moment longer, then backed off. "Let him go," he called to Ladybug, "he does know."

Ladybug faltered, the yo-yo coming undone and falling down. Hawkmoth adjusted his brooch before turning back around and continuing on to the door. "Now, come along and I will keep my promise," he warned.

With a frightened look to each other, Chat Noir and Ladybug followed him.

* * *

The three Chosen were seated at a table, Hawkmoth to one side and Ladybug and Chat to the other. In front of each of them was a cup of tea, Hawkmoth's halfway empty, Chat's and Ladybug's untouched.

"Now," Hawkmoth said as he sat back, his fingers laced, "several days ago when you two fought my last akuma, something strange happened. Chat Noir was replaced by Black Cat, my akuma was almost killed, and Nooroo has been too frightened to do anything until tonight. So, please, tell me what, or should I say who, is Black Cat?"

Chat Noir and Ladybug looked at each other. With a deep breath, Chat began to tell him everything they knew about Black Cat, his eyes glancing around for the phantom himself. Hawkmoth listened in silence, nodding on occasion but otherwise unmoving. Chat told him everything except Black Cat's ability to harm him, something that even Ladybug didn't know about. As Black Cat's tale came to a close and Chat explaining how to remove him, Hawkmoth remained silent, a great frown covering his face.

"I see," he said, "so Nooroo's fear came from the brutal murder of a previous Chosen of his. That explains much. And, you said, the only way to remove Black Cat from existence for good is this cleansing ritual, which requires my cooperation. Correct?"

Ladybug nodded. Hawkmoth took a sip of his tea. "Then no. If this continues, then Chat Noir will become a menace in the public's eye, which would benefit me."

Ladybug shot up and began yelling at Hawkmoth while Chat remained seated, staring at him. Something about him was too familiar. The way he sat in silence as Ladybug berated him struck something in him. After a moment, something clicked inside him; he thought he discovered Hawkmoth's identity.

"Ladybug," Chat said quietly. She paused her rant and turned to him. "Please, leave me alone with Hawkmoth for a moment. I'll be right out, ok?"

"But Chat, what if-"

Ladybug was cut off by a menacing stare from Chat, aimed at Hawkmoth. She paled. "Alright, but if anything goes wrong-"

"He promised not to hurt us," Chat said as he took up the cup of tea and took a sip, "but should anything happen, I will call you."

Ladybug reached down and hugged him, then hesitantly left the room.

Hawkmoth and Chat glared at each other. After a charged pause, Chat spoke first.  _"Plagg, destransformez-moi,"_ he said, Chat Noir disappearing.

"An interesting move, powering down in front of your enemy," Hawkmoth quipped.

"What I'm going to tell you can never leave this room," Adrien said, his voice icy, "do you understand,  _father?"_

Hawkmoth frowned, then silently detransformed. Gabriel picked up his cup of tea as a lavender kwami moved to the one Ladybug never touched. After finishing the cup, he asked, "how did you know?"

Adrien sat back as Plagg flew over to Nooroo. "I only guessed, but that's not what is important. Do you understand that what I'm about to tell you cannot leave this room in any circumstance?"

Gabriel glared at him, then nodded.

"Black Cat can hurt me; he can physically interact with me and stab, cut, and slice his way through me how he sees fit," Adrien said, "but with all his power, even he doesn't know if he can kill me. But he's promised to find out if we try this ritual."

Gabe slowly put his cup down on the table, his eyes wide.

"But I don't care if I die or not," Adrien continued, "because if we don't get rid of him then he may get more powerful, to the point where I can't stop him from taking over myself. Since he's technically a part of the Miraculous, he can be as powerful as any kwami and he'll be unstoppable. The death count will be in the hundreds on a good day."

Gabriel look to the kwami. Nooroo wouldn't stop shaking and Plagg was doing his best to comfort him. "Plagg, was it?" he asked, "is what Adrien is telling true?"

Plagg glared at him. "He has no reason to lie," Plagg said then returned to comforting Nooroo.

"Which is why we need you to help us with this ritual," Adrien said.

Gabriel looked his son over carefully, pausing deep in thought. "If Black Cat can stop you, what's stopping him from stopping you right now?"

"Because anything he does to me now will only prove my point," Adrien said, "and if you say no to helping us, then there's nothing to stop him."

Gabe sat back in his chair. "That's not reason enough," he said.

"Then I'm left with only one option," he said, sending a chill up his father's spine.  _"Plagg, transformez-moi."_

"If you refuse to help us in the ritual, then there's only one thing that can get rid of him: Cataclysm. If I destroy myself when he tries to possess me, then it'll destroy him too." He stood up.

"Adrien, you can't be serious!" Gabe said, standing up. "Just remove the ring; he won't be able to hurt you at all."

"I love you, dad," Chat said, "but tonight's the last night we'll see each other. Good-bye." Chat walked out the door, ignoring his father's screaming as he shut it behind him.

As he made his way back into the dome, he trembled. He didn't know if it would work, but he knew Plagg wouldn't tell him if it did. Removing the ring would be a temporary solution, but with no Chat Noir, Ladybug couldn't beat Hawkmoth. This way, at least they could find a new Chat Noir quickly.

Chat entered the dome and Ladybug immediately embraced him. "I couldn't convince him," Chat said.

"It's ok, Chat; we'll figure something out. Let's get out of here, see if Master Fu has any other ideas."

The door behind them opened once more, and Hawkmoth stepped out. "I will help with the ritual, Chat Noir and Ladybug, but know that I won't give up my Miraculous afterwards. That is my only condition."

Ladybug smiled. "Whatever you did worked, Chat," she said.

Chat smiled, but a voice silenced his joy. 

"Well, I warned you, but once again, you didn't listen. Now, let's find out just how strong I am, shall we?" Black Cat said. Chat felt a blinding pain in his back. Another pain stabbed into his head and he crumpled to the ground. He thought he heard someone call out his name, but the pain was blocking the world from him.

"So I can't kill you, it seems," Cat's voice cut through the pain, "but if I can just cause enough pain to make you black out, that should be enough to take you over for good."

Black Cat's laugh grated Chat's ears, the pain growing and growing inside of him. He felt someone lift him up as he struggled to stay awake, struggled to keep Black Cat from taking control.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 chapter to go!  
> Til next time.  
> Peace.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning: this chapter's dark. It's not for the faint of heart...

Master Fu sat waiting. He was aware of what was going on with Black Cat and knew that the superheroes were looking for Hawkmoth, but he didn't have much faith. Even if they found Hawkmoth, Master Fu was unsure if they could convince him to join them. Still, he had faith in the two, so he had everything ready for the cleansing ritual just in case.

Suddenly, the door flew open, startling Fu. Ladybug entered first, a worried look on her face. A moment later, Hawkmoth stepped inside, a twitching Chat Noir in his arms. Without pause, Fu ushered them into his parlor. "Wayzz," he commanded, "prepare the tea; I'll get everything ready." The kwami flew off to prepare the tea.

The parlor was dimly lit and a strong incense was burning as Ladybug and Hawkmoth entered. In the center were three chairs surrounding a mat. "We have no time to lose," Fu said as he rushed past the two, "put Chat Noir onto the mat in the center and both of you take a chair." Ladybug waited until Hawkmoth had put Chat down before sitting at the chair at Chat's head. Hawkmoth took a seat silently, but Ladybug could tell something was wrong with him. As Fu sat down, his kwami returned with a tea set on a platter, offering a cup to each of the Chosen.

"This tea is special," Fu said as he took a sip, "it will enhance the kwami's spirits, gifting them the energy for a cleanse." After finishing his cup, Fu took another cup and carefully gave it to Chat Noir to drink. Chat tried to take it, but only succeeded in nearly spilling it on himself and Fu as he spasmed in pain. As Chat drank, his body slowly relaxed until it seemed he was asleep. "His tea contained a muscle relaxer to ease this process," Fu explained.

Ladybug watched Fu in silence, sipping the bitter tea slowly. "What do we do now, Master Fu?" she asked.

Fu looked to Ladybug, then Hawkmoth. "For this ritual to work, we need not only the Chosens present, but their kwami as well. To continue, the two of you will need to detransform."

Ladybug was hesitant. Hawkmoth claimed to know who she and Chat were, but powering down in front of her sworn nemesis was a frightening concept. While she was still deciding, Hawkmoth acted first.

"If there is no other way, then very well. Nooroo," he said,  _"détransformez-moi."_ A moment later, Hawkmoth was replaced by Gabriel Agreste. Nooroo floated by him silently, his head down. Ladybug sat shocked; her very idol in fashion was her greatest enemy, and whatever Chat had said to him was not only enough to convince him to help, but enough to reveal his greatest secret to two of the three people who could take him down in this world. Fu's eyes widened, but a moment later he nodded. "I was wondering how you were convinced to come here tonight; now it all makes sense," he said.

Gabriel turned to Ladybug. "And you, Marinette? Will you detransform as well?" he asked.

Her blood ran icy when he said her name.  _So he wasn't bluffing,_ she thought. With a gulp, she commanded, "Tikki,  _détransformez-moi,"_ and was replaced a moment later by her alter ego. Tikki floated next to her, giving Gabriel an evil stare while Marinette remained in shock.

With a nod, Gabriel turned back to Fu. "Will Chat Noir have to detransform as well?" he asked.

"Not until the final stages of the ritual as the Cat Miraculous is the one being cleansed," Master Fu explained.

"So then, now what?" Marinette asked.

Fu sighed deeply. "Now, Chat Noir must purge Black Cat from the Miraculous, cleansing it. Until we know the results, we can do nothing but wait and lend him our energy."

Gabriel frowned. "What do you mean by 'results,' Fu?"

Fu looked down at Chat Noir. "This is the first time that a human's spirit has invaded a Miraculous. Normally, these cleansings pose no danger to the Chosen, but as a living spirit who is quite malevolent is inhabiting Chat Noir's ring, I do not know what will happen."

"There is a chance for Black Cat to survive this ordeal," Wayzz added, "but if he does that, Chat Noir will die. Black Cat is strong and he will put up a fight, so until one is vanquished, we won't know who will survive this night."

Marinette stared down at Chat. She felt anger coming from Gabriel, but a quick glance revealed that he hadn't moved. "So you're saying that Chat Noir may die tonight?" he asked, his voice as icy as ever.

Fu nodded. "And if Black Cat is victorious, then we must stop him from taking over Chat Noir's body, one way or another..." Marinette felt a shiver run up her spine and Gabriel just adjusted his glasses.

The three sat in silence, each watching over Chat Noir, hoping that he would survive while Fu's threatening words hung over their heads.

* * *

Adrien's pain slowly subsided. He remembered being attacked by Black Cat and brought to Master Fu's parlor, but beyond that he couldn't remember anything. His head pounded as he stood up and looked around. He was on top of a roof in some blackened derelict city. It was night, but the moon was hidden behind thin clouds, casting a pale light over his surroundings. There was not a soul in sight. Looking down at himself, he realized that he was no longer Chat Noir, but Adrien and his ring was missing.

_Did...did I die?_ he wondered as he walked to the edge of the building. As he looked over the edge, he saw nothing but endless building; he couldn't see the ground. "What the..." he said to himself.

He heard a scuffle behind him and turned to find a black cat sitting in the middle of the rooftop. Cautiously, he made his way over to it, stopping when it stood up. The cat walked over to the edge of the building. Without a pause it stepped off the edge. Adrien rushed over to the ledge, peering over. He was taken aback when he saw the cat standing on the side of the building as if gravity had changed. The cat leapt up into one of the broken windows on the next building over and was gone.

Adrien stepped back.  _What's going on?_ he thought as he looked around. As he turned, he noticed something was off. In one direction, a large wall of pure blackness, darker than anything else in this land, extended as far as he could see. As he watched, he noticed that it was getting closer ever so slowly.

"Oh great, now you've done it," a voice said from behind him. Adrien whirled around to find Jack sitting on the opposite edge of the roof. "Now they're cleansing the ring," he said, his arms crossed.

Adrien felt the weight that had been growing in his chest disappear;  _I'm not dead; we're cleansing the ring!_

"This means I'll have to play my cards very carefully if I want to survive when I get out of this," Jack said, standing up. "I'm sure they've got you surrounded, ready to pounce the second I come out."

The weight came back to Adrien as Jack spoke. "What do you mean when you come out? You're getting removed from the Miraculous."

Jack laughed. "Oh, you naïve child," he said, "you don't know how this works, do you? Just to make things interesting, why don't I tell you?"

Adrien gulped. "You see, only one of us can leave this Miraculous; the other faces oblivion. Just because it's your body doesn't mean that you're going to be the survivor; it belongs to whoever wins here," Jack explained, his smile chilling Adrien's blood. "And the only way to win here is to get rid of anything in your way. So, shall we get started?"

Jack knelt down, touching his knuckles to the ground. Wind started to swirl around him and green lightening zapped through the air. Slowly, a green light made its way up Jack, transforming him into Black Cat.

Everything inside of Adrien was telling him to run, to get away from there or he would die as Black Cat stood up, but he had nowhere to run. Without the ring he couldn't transform. With a smile, Black Cat started walking over to him. He raised his hand and a black ball formed in it that Adrien recognized as Cataclysm. When he reached the center of the roof, he slammed his palm into it, sending cracks of destruction throughout the building. Adrien felt it shake beneath him, and turned around, jumping to the next building. But, as he was himself and not Chat Noir, he couldn't make it, grabbing the ledge with his hands while his body dangled. As the building behind him fell, Black Cat easily jumped over the gap, landing above Adrien.

"Well, look at that. Li'l Adrien's in quite the pickle, wouldn't ya say?" he mocked as he took out one of his knives. As he brought it closer to Adrien's hands, Adrien remembered the cat, how it had walked over the edge as if it were normal. Seeing no other route for himself, Adrien closed his eyes and let go, pulling his hands away from the approaching blade. Instead of falling, though, his body remained right where it was.

As Black Cat stared in amazement at him, Adrien stood up and ran to the window that he'd seen the cat jump into, jumping into it and ignoring the sting as the broken glass cut him. He landed on the ground with a thud, his heart pounding. He stood up and looked around; he was in an office space where abandoned cubicles sat gathering dust. In the distance, he saw the cat sitting on top of a cubicle. As he watched, it dropped into the cubicle. Suddenly, Adrien heard a sound from the walls. He dove under one of the cubicles and hid, covering his mouth to quiet his breathing. He heard glass shatter from the window.

"Oh Adrien...come out, come out wherever you are?" Black Cat called as he landed inside.

Adrien slowly crawled to where the cat had vanished, making sure not to make a noise. He heard a crash from a few cubicles over. "Not here," Black Cat grumbled. Adrien hurried on, trying to remain silent as Black Cat destroyed the cubicles between them. He turned the corner, and could see the cubicle just a few cubicles away. 

A loud crash came from his side and Adrien found himself covered in debris. "Goddammit Adrien, where are you hiding? Why don't you come out and face me like a real Chat Noir! Or are you just a little pussy?"

Adrien's heart raced. Somehow, even though Black Cat was standing right above him, he remained hidden. He noticed a small piece of debris in front of him. Carefully, he slid his arm out, watching Black Cat for any signs of movement. Slowly, his fingers curled around the piece of splintered wood and, carefully, he tossed it where he hoped Black Cat wasn't looking. He heard a quiet thud, and Black Cat quickly turned.

"There you are..." he heard him say. Adrien froze in fear, but Black Cat leapt away towards the sound. With all of his adrenaline coursing through him, Adrien pushed the debris off of him and crawled as fast as he could towards the last cubicle. Reaching it, he pulled himself around the corner, and his heart sank. This cubicle was just like every other cubicle: a broken computer, a cobweb-covered chair, folders that were buried beneath dust. The only difference was the black cat, who was sleeping on the computer's keyboard. Adrien panicked, shuffling through the folders to find something, anything to help him.

"Just transform already," a familiar voice said, stopping him. Adrien looked around, but the only thing there was cat. He could hear Black Cat trashing the opposite side of the room. 

"And beat that idiot trashing my world," the voice said again. This time, Adrien recognized it as Plagg's voice, but it was coming from the cat.

"P-Plagg?" he whispered. The cat lifted it's head and rolled it's eyes at him. "You don't need your ring here," Plagg said, "so go kick his ass already. And let me sleep for crying out loud."

Adrien blinked. He looked at his ringless hand, then clenched it into a fist. "Alright...let's give this a go, then," he said. "Plagg,  _transfo-"_

"You don't need to call me for transformations, you know. You can just think it. I have faith in you, kid," Plagg said, rolling over. Adrien nodded, swallowing.

_Transformez-moi,_ he thought. He felt the energy as if Plagg were transforming him, and in a green flash, he was Chat Noir again.

Suddenly, three knives protruded from the wall next to him, causing him to jump back. "So, you figured out how to transform," Black Cat said, "now, we can really get started."

Adrien pulled out his staff, swinging it through the cubicle wall where he was sure Black Cat was hiding behind. Black Cat jumped over, knives in his hands, as he pounced at Adrien. Adrien leapt back, but Black Cat offered no pause as he continued his attack forward, swinging his blades at Adrien as he backed up. Adrien parried them, knocking each slice away without being touched.  _This isn't good; I can't attack with all these cubicles blocking my way_ , Adrien thought. Suddenly, he noticed a small hole in the ceiling to his right, a hole too small for Black Cat to get through, but maybe he could...

Adrien swiped at Black Cat's feet, which he easily dodged by jumping, just as Adrien had hoped. Dropping the staff for a moment, Chat slammed his body against Black Cat, knocking him off balance as he landed and sending him crashing backward into the cubicle behind. Quickly grabbing his staff, Adrien ran under the hole and jumped up, feeling a sharp pain in his calf as he jumped. Thankfully, the hole was just large enough for him to fit through, and Adrien pulled himself up. Inspecting his leg, he found one of Black Cat's throwing knives had grazed his calf; nothing serious but it still stung. Ignoring the pain for the time being, he stood up and looked around. Like the floor below, this one also had cubicles in it, but nowhere near as many. Adrien turned around, staff ready, facing the hole. He at least expected Black Cat to try to climb in, but he heard nothing from below. Adrien felt the ground vibrate beneath him. Looking down, he saw black cracks forming. He heard a tap from behind him. Whirling around, he saw Black Cat outside a window, smiling and waving. Suddenly, Black Cat jumped back, vanishing out of view. Looking back down, Adrien noticed the ground beginning to bulge. He jumped away just as the floor exploded, sending him flying. He struck something and felt the air leave his lungs. As he struggled to get his breath back, he looked around. The building he was in had exploded, and now opened to the skies above. Adrien had been lucky and struck a wall that still remained, his breath finally returning as he stood up.

"Wow, I'm amazed you survived Detonate," Black Cat said as he landed on the floor, "you like it? I developed it as a variation of Cataclysm. Destroying specific molecules can cause quite the reaction." Adrien stood up, his staff at the ready, but he still felt weak from the recovery. "And up and ready to fight right after, too. Either you're bluffing or Detonate ain't nearly as powerful as I thought it was. Well, I'd hate to keep you waiting," Black Cat giggled as he rushed forward, his two knives in his hands. Adrien rushed forward to get away from the edge. He swung his staff around, using the extra length it gave to keep Black Cat away. It worked for a moment, but then Black Cat dove under a swing and closed the distance between them. Adrien pulled his staff back just in time to block a vicious swipe from Black Cat. He realized that there was nothing he could do but defend; Black Cat was an expert and he wouldn't stop his attack. 

Adrien grew tired. He knew that if any attack got through then it would mean his death, but fighting Black Cat after everything that he'd been through was growing too tiring while it seemed that Black Cat was still warming up. Black Cat noticed too and began raining down stronger and stronger attacks on Adrien. Finally, Adrien noticed a pattern and acted, throwing an attack at Black Cat. Adrien put all of his strength into the swing, but it seemed that Black Cat was prepared. He stopped the staff with his knives, but the blow was stronger than he anticipated, causing him to drop his knives. Adrien saw the knives falling and doubled his efforts, but, with his hands free, Black Cat caught the staff, pulling it out of Adrien's hands, and threw it across the room. With a clatter, it landed next to the wall that had saved Adrien's life before.

Adrien raised his fists, ready to fight. "Oh, little kitty wants to brawl," Black Cat said. His voice betrayed his exhaustion, giving Adrien some hope. "Then let's fight." Adrien closed the gap this time, his fists swinging at Black Cat. "Too bad you hit like a leaf," Black Cat ridiculed. He brought his knee up into Adrien's stomach, causing him to bow over. "I appreciate your spirit, though," he said, "so I'll let you get up. C'mon. Get on up." Adrien looked past him. He could see his staff on the ground near where Black Cat's knives had landed.  _I won't be able to beat him unless I get my staff back,_ he thought. "You gonna get up or just keep bent like that all day?" Black Cat asked. Adrien stood up, his plan in action. Black Cat threw a punch and Adrien jumped over him, using his back as a springboard and, when he landed, ran to get his weapon. Without warning, he felt the wound on his leg split wider, forcing his leg to give. He collapsed to the floor.

Looking up, Adrien could see his weapon just out of reach. He tried to get up but was pounced on by Black Cat, who turned him over. Planting his hands around Adrien's neck, he said, "oh you clever cat, I gave you a chance for a fair fight. Instead you ran. See where that got you?" He pressed down on Adrien's windpipe as Adrien tried to claw at him, kick him, anything to get his breath back.

"Shh," Black Cat said, "it'll all be over soon, so quit fighting."

Adrien's vision was fading. He could feel himself dying as Black Cat pressed tighter and tighter against his throat.  _My staff,_ he thought,  _if only I could reach my staff._ He gave up on striking and his hand searched blindly for his weapon.

"And when it's over, I'll be sure to kill those idiots who thought they could save you. Your dad and that foolish 'guardian' will go first. Them I'll kill quickly. But that Ladybug of yours? I'm gonna savour her death, make it nice and slow..."

Adrien's hand brushed against something, his hand knocking it away. He redoubled his efforts, hand going wild to find it.

"Y'know, she's really beautiful. I can't wait to see just how beautiful her insides are as well..."

Adrien's hand touched something and his hand instinctively wrapped his hands around it;  _my staff!_

With the last of his power, he swung it to where he thought Black Cat's head was, but felt no resistance. He gave up, believing he'd missed, when he felt a hot liquid drop on his face. Suddenly, the pressure around his neck vanished and Adrien could breathe again. He drew in a large, gasping breath, coughing as he tried to breathe. His vision returned and he looked at his hand, fear creeping through him. He had almost grabbed his staff, but instead he had grabbed one of Black Cat's knives. Rubbing his face, Adrien pulled his hand away to see crimson. He looked to Black Cat, who lay on the gasping on the ground next to him, a deep slash in his throat. Adrien dropped the knife and scurried back.

Black Cat tried to get up, one hand covering his neck. He reached out his other hand towards Adrien, hate in his eyes, before collapsing to the ground as a puddle of red slowly formed around him. Adrien huddled in the corner, his eyes never leaving Black Cat's corpse as he waited for something to happen. He sat there for what felt like hours. Slowly, the puddle beneath the corpse stopped growing. The black wall slowly grew closer, but never seemed to erase what he'd done. Silently, a rain began to fall, once again causing the red puddle to spread. Adrien didn't move when it reached him. When lightning struck and thunder rolled, he remained immobile. Once the storm passed, Adrien looked around. He realized that the black wall he'd seen earlier now surrounded him.

"See? Told you I had faith in you," Plagg said from behind Adrien. He turned around and saw cat-Plagg lounging on top of the broken wall. "The cleansing's done. All that's left is for us to leave."

Adrien remained silent, his stare returning to Black Cat.

"Whatever you did to him, he deserved much worse for all the shit he's done," Plagg said, jumping down on to Adrien's shoulder. "You shouldn't feel bad for this; he's been dead for over 100 years now. Just took him this long for his spirit to die."

"I almost died, Plagg," Adrien said, "he had me pinned and was crushing my throat. If I hadn't grabbed his knife by mistake-"

"Adrien, it's alright," Plagg said, "you don't need to explain yourself. What matters is that you beat him. You won, and now we can go home."

The walls surrounding him closed in on him slowly. "As long as I'm here, you'll be fine," Plagg comforted, "and trust me kid, after what you've been through, I won't leave your side."

Adrien watched as the blackness covered Black Cat, erasing him for good. Then, he was floating in nothingness, the weight of Plagg on his shoulder the only thing telling him that he was alright. He suddenly felt sleepy, and in a moment could barely keep his eyes open. He blinked, and suddenly saw a dim light. All the injuries he'd received from Black Cat were fading in his memory, but his body seemed stiff.

"He's waking up," he heard a voice say, "get ready for anything..."

He could feel the leather of Chat Noir's suit on him, but for some reason it felt wrong, as if it didn't fit right anymore. It felt constricting.  _Plagg, if you can hear me, please get this suit off of me_ , he thought,  _détransformez-moi._ He felt the leather disappear, instantly replaced with the cloth of his everyday clothes.

Slowly, he began to make out individuals standing above him. He could see three faces, but couldn't quite place them.

"Relax, Adrien," the same voice said, "I gave you a muscle relaxer, so you won't be able to move your body for a bit. You can still talk."

Quietly, he heard, "Chat Noir is A-A-Adrien..." The face this voice belonged to was feminine, one he recognized but couldn't place. "So that's why you-"

"I agreed because of reasons I promised not to share," the third voice, one he recognized but was different from how he knew it, warmer.

"F...father?" he was finally able to say. He heard the girl gasp. A green blur blocked his vision. Clearly, he heard a voice in his head.

_Who is it that I am speaking to?_ it asked.

_Adrien,_ he thought.  _Wayzz? Is that you?_

"His mind was true; Adrien beat Black Cat," he heard Wayzz say. A collection of sighs filled the room.

"Drink this," a voice he now recognized as Master Fu's said. He felt a warm liquid pass his lips. "It will help rid your body of the relaxer." True to his word, Adrien slowly regained control of his body. His vision cleared and he finally saw the person he didn't know: Marinette.  _What's she doing here,_ he wondered.

"Oh thank god, Adrien," she said. When he finally had the power to sit up, he did. He felt someone hug him from behind. He freaked out, throwing the arms to the side as the memory of Black Cat's strangling returned.

"Give him some space," he heard Plagg say, "he's been through a lot the past few hours." Adrien was breathing heavy and could feel sweat on his forehead. He turned around to face the three people and four kwami who looked at him in concern. Seeing he was safe, he broke down in tears. Plagg wouldn't let anyone but himself near him until he was done.

* * *

A few weeks had passed since Black Cat was destroyed, and he hadn't seen any signs of him. His father had left him in peace, refusing to akumatize anyone for the first week while Adrien recovered. It had taken a few days to be comfortable with anyone touching him. His suit had changed slightly as well: Adrien found he couldn't wear skintight clothing without sensations of choking plaguing him, so Plagg had redesigned his outfit to be a little baggier.

Learning that Marinette was Ladybug was as much a shock to him as it was to her, and the two had started dating as Ladybug and Chat Noir, not showing any signs of it in their real lives for a bit so no one would be suspicious. She was one of the few people who could hug him without being sent into a panic attack, but she never knew what had caused his sudden fear. She never pried.

Master Fu had asked him many times about what happened during the cleansing, but he never said anything. When he tried asking Plagg, he would only reply, "all you need to know is that Black Cat is dead. For good, this time. What happened in there is between me and the kid." Fu had Wayzz inspect both Adrien and Plagg just to be sure, and Wayzz had gladly reported that Black Cat was indeed gone for good.

Gabriel complicated matters. After learning that Adrien was Chat Noir and Gabriel was Hawkmoth, Marinette understood how Adrien was able to convince him to help. He had promised that he would do no purposeful harm to her family or to Fu, and even though he was their enemy, both Marinette and Fu believed him. Now, battles were fought in and out of their suits as they fought. No one would reveal his identity; they would try to capture his Miraculous without interfering with his, and by extension, Adrien's life. Nathalie, who knew Gabe's secret, didn't know what had happened between him and Adrien, but she did notice that they were slowly growing closer to each other. She didn't care why, she was only happy that Adrien was finally getting something from his father.

Adrien was sitting in his room when a knock came from the door. A moment later, his father entered, carefully closing the door behind him. Nooroo came out and flew to where Plagg was taking an afternoon nap. Silently, he sat down next to his son.

"I would like to talk about what you told me that night," he said, "would you really have killed yourself if I hadn't decided to help?"

"No. I could never do that to you or Ladybug. That was something that I had come up with on the fly in order to scare you. I'm sorry for deceiving you, father."

"I accept your apology," Gabriel said after a moment of silence. He tried, but he couldn't hide the relief in his voice. "Adrien, I may never know what happened to you that night, and I know that, for the time being, you and I are enemies, but if you ever need someone to talk to-"

Adrien interrupted him with a hug. Cautiously, Gabriel let his arms fall around his son, returning the hug. Gabriel took a look at his watch.

"Well, now, look at the time. Dinner should be ready soon and I still have to prepare to meet Marinette's family tonight," he said, standing up. "Come, Nooroo." The kwami flew to his Chosen, phasing into his pocket. "I'll spare your Miraculous this time, Adrien," he joked as he left, closing the door behind him.

Once he was certain his father had left, Adrien walked over to his desk. He removed three envelopes, one addressed to Ladybug, one addressed to Master Fu, and one addressed to his father. Adrien gave a sigh as he walked to his bathroom and dropped them into his sink. Plagg followed him in.

"I'm glad you didn't have to deliver these," Adrien said as he struck a match, dropping it onto the papers.

"You're not the only one," Plagg said as he landed on Adrien's head. "To be honest, I don't know if I would've been able to deliver them if you had killed yourself."

"Thankfully my father decided to help us before the week was up, otherwise..."

The two watched as the suicide notes burned away. When ashes were all that remained, Adrien turned on the sink, washing them down the drain and out of existence.

The doorbell rang a moment later. "Well, best not to keep your future in-laws waiting," Plagg said.

Adrien smiled as he left the bathroom. "Who says they're my future in-laws?" he asked.

"I've seen how you look at Marinette," Plagg responded, flying into Adrien's jacket pocket. "And how she looks at you. If you two don't get married, then I'll give up cheese."

Adrien shook his head as he left the room, prepared to meet his guests.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Til next time.  
> Peace.

**Author's Note:**

> Although there is some LadyNoir going on, it's only gonna be a part of what happens (but it could happen; I haven't decided on how I want their relationship to go from here yet)  
> Til next time.  
> Peace.


End file.
